by Nate Ryan, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Ryan, USA TODAY Sports

CONCORD, N.C. - Penske Racing won a slight victory Tuesday in its final appeal of penalties to its two Sprint Cup teams, as National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook reduced seven team members' suspensions from six to two races.

Middlebrook left intact the points penalties and fines to the teams of defending series champion Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. But now the key crewmen from the Nos. 2 and 22 will miss only Saturday's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. They also will be absent from the Sprint All-Star Race, an exhibition held on May 18 at Charlotte, but can return for the June 2 race at Dover International Speedway.

Team owner Roger Penske said he was very happy with Middlebrook's decision.

"I think it was fair and equitable," Penske said. "He felt the fines and penalties were overreaching and made the decision to reduce it. It was a good outcome for everyone. We're going to move on."

Penske said the team would release information soon on who would replace the seven team members at the track for the next three weeks. Because the Nationwide Series runs in tandem with NASCAR's premier circuit at Darlington and Charlotte, it's expected the team would use it Nationwide crewmembers for those races.

"We have to talk internally to our teams," Penske said. "We have a game plan. Hopefully you'll see people you know at the racetrack. We have a deep bench."

For the second consecutive week, Penske attended a NASCAR appeal hearing with chief lieutenants Walt Czarnecki (vice president of Penske Corp.) and Tim Cindric (president of Penske Racing). Team manager Travis Geisler and crew chiefs Paul Wolfe (Keselowski) and Todd Gordon (Logano) also were present.

Sprint Cup director John Darby represented NASCAR again as he had during the initial appeal last Wednesday.

NASCAR issued the penalties after the April 13 race at Texas Motor Speedway, where Sprint Cup officials confiscated parts from the rear suspensions of the Fords of Logano and Keselowski after the cars failed a prerace inspection.

The punishment was upheld May 1 by an appeals panel of Pocono Raceway President Brandon Igdalsky, former NASCAR vice president Paul Brooks and Bowman-Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis. The panel took about five hours to hear arguments from both sides and deliberate on the decision.

Geisler, Wolfe and Gordon were facing six-race suspensions along with car chiefs Jerry Kelley and Raymond Fox and engineers Brian Wilson and Samuel Stanley. In one of the harshest penalties doled out in NASCAR history, Wolfe and Gordon each were fined $100,000 and placed on probation, and Keselowski and Logano each lost 25 points in a ruling announced April 17.

Penske said Tuesday's hearing, in which Middlebrook questioned Penske and Darby while both were in the room together, was the first time that the team had ample opportunity to understand NASCAR's reasoning for the penalties. During the first appeal, the panel heard arguments separately, and Penske said the team previously had been given only rulebook interpretations.

"It was the first time to listen specifically to John to say these are areas we feel you're over the line," Penske said. "We had our rebuttal about that. The appellate officer took that into consideration and came up with final ruling. I think it shows both sides probably have some skin in the game."

Penske maintained that he felt his teams were working in a "gray area" of the NASCAR rulebook.

"This is an innovative sport," he said. "I can tell you the other 42 cars are innovating every day. We'll continue to look at areas we can work in if we feel they are within the rulebook. Obviously, I don't want to get to the edge as NASCAR felt we were in this particular situation, but we've got to be competitive in order to win. I think there are very creative guys that we compete against every Sunday in NASCAR.

"I don't think we were confused (by the violation). As we interpreted the rules, these are undefined areas. But obviously with all the innovation, the NASCAR rulebook is thicker this year than last year, because we have great guys in the garage are that are innovating, and that's the business we're in."

NASCAR releases concerning the penalties have referred to a rule that states rear suspension mounts "must not allow movement or realignment beyond normal rotation or suspension travel" and specifies the permitted mounting hardware.

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said NASCAR had updated the 2013 rulebook after many teams used rear-end "skew" last season to achieve extra speed. Keselowski was outspoken last summer about Hendrick Motorsports employing the concept and implied it skirted the rules too much for Penske. But by the end of the season, rival Hendrick drivers said Keselowski's cars had more skew than theirs.

"We made it pretty clear with the rear end housing last year, the science project had gone far enough," Tharp said. "That's something we felt the enforcement behind the penalty was warranted.'

Penske said he was still disappointed over losing points, but "I don't think it's something we worry about. From my perspective overall, the key thing is we have our people back at the track (earlier) operating at full control. That's most important. If we're going to want to be a leader and win the championship again, we have plenty of time to do that. I just want to move on. I've learned a lot in the process and am sure the team has.

"The most important thing is this is over. This has been two or three weeks of constant questions. There are lots of emotions from the team members and the media. I feel our bench is strong, and we have people who step in for the crew chiefs and people who weren't here. It'll be business as usual at Darlington."

Penske said he was pleased by NASCAR's two-tiered appeals process that "is very fluid and provides a chance to come to two different hearings. The fact that our facts could be delineated specifically in detail (Wednesday), I think made a big difference with me. â?¦ I think the process is good. You don't go to the Supreme Court on the first day. I'm happy with the outcome."

Since becoming chief appellate officer in 2010, Middlebrook, who worked at General Motors for 49 years before retiring as global vice president of sales and marketing, has heard six cases. This is the fifth penalty he has amended.

In his most dramatic reduction last year, Middlebrook overturned six-week suspensions to crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec and a 25-point penalty to Jimmie Johnson after Hendrick Motorsports lost on its initial appeal of a Daytona 500 infraction on Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet (leaving intact only a $100,000 fine to Knaus).

Richard Childress Racing brought the first case to Middlebrook after Clint Bowyer's Chevrolet failed a postrace inspection after winning the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Middlebrook upheld a 150-point penalty but reduced a fine to crew chief Shane Wilson by $50,000 to $100,000 and cut the six-race suspension to four for Wilson and car chief Chad Haney.

Early last year, Peyton Sellers was reinstated by Middlebrook after an indefinite suspension for a short-track altercation with a NASCAR official.

With the Penske appeal concluded, attention now turns to another powerhouse team Wednesday. The National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel will hear a new case as Joe Gibbs Racing appeals penalties from Matt Kenseth's engine failing inspection after a victory at Kansas Speedway. Kenseth was docked 50 points, and his crew chief and car chief each were suspended six races.

The team and Toyota Racing Development have maintained one of the eight connecting rods was 2.7 grams too light because of a vendor error. The other seven rods weighed over the minimum.